Ancient Belarusian fortresses
A small but spirited country is used to fight back. In memory of this, many unique fortifications of various eras have remained on our land
See the enemy from afar in Kamenets
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Curious tourists can look inside and climb to the very top: they will understand what those who fought off the crusaders, Poles, and Lithuanians saw six hundred years ago. The stone fortress withstood all attacks. In the 19th century, people sought to dismantle it into bricks, but over the centuries, the bond has hardened so much that the entire tower has turned into one big block.
Outsmart Napoleon in Bobruisk
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The fortress met the French and enabled Bagration’s army to retreat to Smolensk, where Barclay de Tolly was already standing. After that, the garrison held back the siege of the enemy for another four months!
In 1820-1823, the organisers of the Union of Salvation served here. Their bloody Bobruisk plan to capture Alexander I failed. But already in 1825, the fortress turned into casemates for the Decembrists after the uprising on Senate Square.
Remember the heroes in Brest
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The memorial complex Brest Hero Fortress is a symbol of the courage and steadfastness of the Soviet people. Above the necropolis on the square of ceremonials, a thirty-metre sculptural image of the Unsubdued Warrior froze. Every year on June 22nd, tens of thousands of people come here to remember the feat of their ancestors. Today there are several museums around the soldier in the former casemates.
The new expositions, opened at the expense of the Union State, amaze with their scale and technology. So, in the Eastern Fort, you can see with your own eyes what the last days were like in the fortress of the legendary Major Pyotr Gavrilov. It was his story that formed the basis of the Brest Fortress film.
Ask for protection in Synkavichy
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Those passing by do not immediately recognise it as a temple, and this is no coincidence. Thick walls, intricate turrets, gothic features, and Byzantine details — it is more like either a fortress or a castle. The spirit of the times also reflects the interior. Under the mighty vaults, you can see unique drawings of the 16th century in Greek, Latin, and Church Slavonic.
The temple is known for helping pious girls to get married happily. Brides come from all over Belarus to pray to the icon of the Mother of God, called Most Holy Mother of God. The miraculous image was painted in the Vatopedi Monastery in the 17th century by monks from Mount Athos.
In Polotsk
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By Sofia Arsenyeva